Matune attempts another self defense
Wednesday, Mar 12, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Republican House candidate Keith Matune, who’s running against Rep. Ron Sandack in the primary and is backed by Dan Proft, wrote an op-ed for the Illinois Review. His lede…
Like a lot of people I did some stupid things when I was in college and I’m truly sorry for the missteps I took.
OK, let’s stop right there.
Other than maybe anti-war, civil rights or even anti-abortion protesters, how many people do you know who’ve been arrested three times?
* He continues…
During this campaign those regrettable moments have become public. Like everyone, I have matured and have spent the last 20 years becoming a husband, father of four, Illinois Teacher of the Year, IHSA Coach of the Year, and School Board Member.
Trouble is, he told his school that he hadn’t been arrested on his job app.
Oops.
And that “Illinois Teacher of the Year” award actually came from the Constitutional Rights Foundation of Chicago, which does have a heavy-hitter board of directors.
* Matune was responding to a devastating IR column by Chris Robling…
He told Waubonsie, when applying to teach Illinois kids, he had never been arrested.
He lied on his other school applications. And on the Daily Herald candidate questionnaire. When the Daily Herald got the facts, he claimed his priors were expunged, even though — obviously — they are not. That’s another whopper.
He issued a press release in January that invoked the Illinois State Police to claim he had never been arrested. As a guy who once wore handcuffs in court, he knew that was false.
He claims gymnastics “Consensus All American” status. But he forgot to tell Purdue about his distinction. Its official website does not list him –- or any gymnast of his era — as “All American,” since Purdue did not field a Division 1 gymnastics team then.
The General Assembly, to which he thinks he should be elected, says ‘public indecency’ is a sex crime. Illinois public school teacher applicants must disclose all such findings. Perhaps most deeply troubling of all — Matune’s applications show that when he asked for exposure to our kids, he refused to tell the truth.
- Norseman - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 11:47 am:
As school children say, “liar, liar, pants on fire.”
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 11:49 am:
Matune lied in a job application, Matune is thrice arrested, and arrested for what can be seen as “Creepy” acts, not being “young and foolish”.
Matune was told how all this could come out.
Acts have consequences. I have sympathy for his wife, children, family and friends, just not Matune.
- Norseman - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 11:52 am:
Dumbest thing I did at NIU was take Calculus with a prof who would call you to the chalkboard to work out a problem and then hit you on the back of the head if you got it wrong. Ouch.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 11:56 am:
–Other than maybe anti-war, civil rights or even anti-abortion protesters, how many people do you know who’ve been arrested three times?–
Quite a few, actually. Pretty crazy once we got off the farm back in the day. Managed to keep our clothes on in public and not crawl through windows, though.
- Just Observing - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 11:57 am:
=== Other than maybe anti-war, civil rights or even anti-abortion protesters, how many people do you know who’ve been arrested three times? ===
I made that point in a previous post. I’ve engaged in lots of silly antics that could have gotten me arrested three or more times as a young person, but you really have to mess up to actually get arrested three times.
Even if stopped by the cops for foolish antics, if you are respectful and remorseful, very often the cops will cut you a break and let you on your way.
- Big Muddy - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 12:04 pm:
Matune is running to overturn the SSM law. That’s it. He is so beholden to his bigotry that he will do whatever it takes to win, including lying. Repeatedly. Over some really trivial stuff. Men’s gymnastics collegiate national champion runner up? Nope.
AllAmerican gymnast you say? Incorrect.
Never arrested OR convicted? False.
All happened 20 years ago? District 204 application from 2013. Daily Harald 2013.
-
This all leads back to Dan Proft and Proft thought he had “a guy” here that could beat his enemy Sandack. If Matune wins the primary he will never see a seat on the House floor. Madigan will see to it… with Proft playing the role of chump.
- Been There - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 12:07 pm:
=== how many people do you know who’ve been arrested three times?===
Well I better not run for dog catcher. Since you asked, I’ve been arrested four times. The serious offenses were: 1) blowing off firecrackers (actually not arrested on this one. The cop just brought us home)
2)Some kid we were with was shooting a bb gun and the lady next door called the cops about it. But she left out the word bb said we were shooting a gun. Had to spend 3-4 hours waiting for my dad to take off work and get me.
3)Walked out of a bar in college with a beer in my hand. Another couple hours in the pokey.
4) A friend of mine was hit in the head with a board while leaving a bar. I wasn’t there at the time. But about an hour later when I was with him we spotted the guys who did it. We chased after them and the cops saw us running after them and arrested us. Spent the night in a beautiful holding cell with some of Chicago’s most outstanding citizens.
I actually doubt any of these can actually be found in the records but you never know nowadays.
- Wensicia - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 12:11 pm:
It’s not the arrests that damn him, it’s the deliberate cover-up and false information excluding the arrests on his public school applications. He should expunge himself from this election.
- SonofSuperAbe2014 - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 12:14 pm:
I understand that Keith Matune just received the endorsement of Pee Wee Herman
- OneMan - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 12:16 pm:
It would appear he was a NFHS coach of the year in Illinois, it does not appear as if the IHSA gives ‘coach of the year’ awards out
http://www.ihsa.org/Resources/AwardsRecognition/NFHSCoachesoftheYear.aspx
Does he still teach at Waubonsie? If so I suspect if someone officially complains they are in a bit of a pickle because if they don’t let him go for not disclosing wouldn’t make it harder for them to remove someone else for that down the road?
- matuniac - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 12:17 pm:
Did anyone read the stuff? First, it’s pretty clear that despite what I’ve read, Matune did not engage in the creepy act of crawling through the window of a girls’ dorm. he used a key to enter a vacant building that later became a dorm.
For all the hue and cry about him being a liar, there’s a lot coming from the other side.
And yes, he should have told the truth on his app. I have no problem with the school district firing him. But the girl dorm thing is beyond the pale.
- circularfiringsquad - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 12:18 pm:
Anybody else wonder how Proft finds these scary creeps? Do they all hang out at the same creep hole? Off the Uline website?
We would love to know so we cay stay WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY far away
Meanhile this should make a nice compare/contrast lit drop for the weekend
TTFN
- Stones - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 12:19 pm:
What Wensicia said. It’s the coverup more than the crime.
- PoolGuy - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 12:30 pm:
besides the article, the comments beneath it expose what it’s all really about. lots of mean spirited opinions on SSM and gays in general. wow.
- Upon Further Review - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 12:36 pm:
Mathune’s mistake his that he applied for a job in K-12 education; he should have tried higher education. At Chicago State University, a falsified job application, a plagiarized dissertation and fake degree dates would qualify him for a six figure salary as an administrator with the full support of the Quinn appointed board of trustees! Snark! Snark! lol
- Knome Sane - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 12:54 pm:
As the saying goes: “if you’re explaining, you’re losing”.
The best excuse Matune seems to come up with is: “you weren’t suppose to know about these things, ergo, it shouldn’t really matter.”
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 12:55 pm:
No sympathy for Proft either. This race probably drives up his ratings.
Speaking of which, how is Pihos?
- Just asking - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 1:02 pm:
Wasn’t Jon Zahm the one who recruited and vetted Matune and paid $5k to do it? Where did he find him?
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 1:10 pm:
When I broke the law, I was never caught.
If I was, I wouldn’t have an interest in running for public office. It would not be worth the humiliation.
He is a delusional egomaniac.
- dupage dan - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 1:24 pm:
This guy has moved from stupid first time candidate who made some mistakes to creepy candidate who has to be watched carefully around vulnerable people. I haven’t seen a poll on the race with Sandack but I am hoping Ron makes this person go away.
- Nearly Normal - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 1:35 pm:
A colleague of mine taught in the same school as Matune and has nothing positive to say about the guy. This is from a person who is level-headed and a moderate.
- Rufus - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 1:35 pm:
==Other than maybe anti-war, civil rights or even anti-abortion protesters, how many people do you know who’ve been arrested three times?==
Hey, when you go to college in the 60’s and 70’s, the only people you knew were anti-war, civil-rights, and pro-choice protesters,
… and yes, they were arrested more than three times.
Some those people were great people and I wish they were in politics.
- OneMan - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 1:39 pm:
Man the comments on IR are entertaining…..
Amazing what you can rationalize if the guy is against SSM.
- Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 1:51 pm:
“Convicted? … No, never convicted.” — Harold Ramis, RIP.
- Upon Further Review - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 1:57 pm:
Question for those in the know: Was it a vacant building that formerly served as a fraternity house or a women’s dormitory when the break-in occurred? Mathune posted a newspaper column suggesting the building was empty. Anyone from Purdue around who can clarify?
Sheesh… what a mess.
- SonofSuperAbe2014 - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 2:00 pm:
The arrest record of January 17th 1994 clearly states the name Shoemaker Cooperative. Matune states that the Cooperative did not take possession until Feb of 1994. Strange, but maybe the cops didn’t want our Lord & Savior Keith Matune to get elected as Rep. How about demi-God?
- Walker - Wednesday, Mar 12, 14 @ 2:29 pm:
More than three arrests for me, many years ago.
But I went to the press and disclosed all, before formally announcing campaign for office.
My opponent(s) had a field day with mailers, but it probably netted out about even at the polls.
My wife hasn’t recovered, to this day.
Tough business.
- Siriusly - Thursday, Mar 13, 14 @ 7:47 am:
I saw a Matune ad blasting Sandack on Chicago broadcast television today. That’s a lot of money to spend.
Don’t ever recall seeing a house seat primary candidate on broadcast before.